The Ranger

I have a bicycle that I have referred to in a couple of posts. The Ranger. I bought it for $10 at a thrift store 25 years ago. It is English-style, single gear, and black. It has the old-fashioned rod-and-linkage brakes, similar to bicycles that you see in the Far East or India. The kind the Viet Cong won the war with. My bike was probably 40 years old at the time I bought it. The tires (tyres) were marked "War Grade". With the exception of a seat, new pedals and a rack, it is stock. Every couple of years I grease the bearings, or touch up a rusty spot. I have modern bikes, but they are missing some intangible quality that the Ranger has. Looking at this bike, you can see how it was made by hand, with hand tools. Someone forged the tubes, tapped the bolt-holes and hammered out the linkage.
The bike has a longer wheel base, a little different geometry than any other I've ridden. It was never intended to be a racing bike.

It is a civilized machine. The kind of apparatus a gentleman would ride on his constitutional, or a doctor would take on his rounds. I use it almost every day, all year round. Do you have any appliance or tool that you trust with your life that is over 60 years old that you regularly use?  Will anything you have now still be in use in 60 years? A humble English craftsman thought he could make a proper bicycle - 60 years later it has been proven that he got it right.